This episode winds its way through Algerian’s long, controversial wine history to the present day efforts to revive it.

Only 100 years ago, Algeria overcame everything from jackals, fungus, phylloxera (complete with phylloxera deniers), colonial infighting, slander, war, and a plague of locusts to rank among the top four wine-producing countries in the world.

Now efforts to produce and export quality wines often face an economic and political challenges fraught with ideology. Your host laments about “why we can’t have nice things,” but then some hope crops up portending that …maybe we can?

Resources from this episode:

Books:

The Blood of the Colony: The rise and fall of French Algeria [Kindle Edition], White, O. (2021)

Oxford Companion to Wine, 4th Edition, Robinson, J., Harding, J. (2015)

The Ottomans: Khans, Caesars, and Caliphs [Audio Version], Baer, M. D. (2021)

Websites:

Associação Portuguese da Cortiça (APCOR): Forest https://www.apcor.pt/en/montado/forest/

Be Inclusive Hospitality: Community Spotlight Aghiles Ourad, founder of The Other Grape, (September 2022) https://bihospitality.co.uk/community-spotlight-aghiles-ourad-the-other-grape/

BBC: The Arab Poet Who Worshipped Wine, Galer, S. S. (14 November 2017) https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20171113-the-arab-poet-who-worshipped-wine

Cork Forest Conservation Alliance: Cork Facts (2015) https://corkforest.org/cork-facts/

New Lines Magazine: The Withering of Algerian Wine - How the North African Country Went from the World’s Top Exporter to Endless Acres of Uprooted Grape Vines - and why it Matters to Return to the Craft Again, Ourad, A. (26 July 2022) https://newlinesmag.com/reportage/the-withering-of-algerian-wine/

Second Bottle: Algerian Wines: Best Algeria Wines https://www.secondbottle.co/algerian-wines-best-algerian-wines/

Société les Grand Crus de l’Ouest Algérien (SGCO): The Société des Grands Crus de l'Ouest, a success story, https://gco-dz.com/en/content/4-about-us

Thought Co. : Admiral Hayreddin Barbarossa, Szczepanski, K. (21 January 2020) https://www.thoughtco.com/admiral-hayreddin-barbarossa-195756

Trading Economics: European Union imports of cork and articles of cork from Algeria (January 2023) https://tradingeconomics.com/european-union/imports/algeria/cork-articles-cork

Wine Enthusiast: The Rise and Fall of a North African Wine Giant, Dhenin, M., (8 June 2022) https://www.winemag.com/2022/06/08/algeria-wine-history-africa/

Podcasts:

Wine Blast: Wine from the Arab World | S3:E24 Barrie, S. & P. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wine-from-the-arab-world/id1505083611?i=1000567565107

Related or Referenced Glass in Session® Episodes:

S3E4: Wine from Dried Grapes https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s3e4-wine-from-dried-grapes

S4E4: Meet the Teinturiers https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s4e4-meet-the-teinturiers

S7E3: Booze Riots and Rebellions, Part 1 - Champagne & Whiskey https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s7e3-booze-riots-and-rebellions-part-1-champagne-whiskey

S9E6: Vodka Wars, Empires and Culture https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s9e6-vodka-wars-empires-and-culutre

S10E1: Cap Classique - A South African Sparkling Wine Story https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s10e1-cap-classique-a-south-african-sparkling-wine-story

S11E4: Corsican Wine, Grapes, History … and a Grave with Goblets! https://glassinsession.libsyn.com/s11e4-corsican-wine-grapes-history-and-a-grave-with-goblets

Glass in Session® swag mentioned in this show: https://www.teepublic.com/user/glass-in-session

Glass in Session® is a registered trademark of Vino With Val, LLC.

Music: “Write Your Story” by Joystock (Jamendo.com cc_Standard License, Jamendo S.A.)